Holus Bolus Syrah!

While on my holiday travels, I was pleased to find this splendid thing in a shop in Santa Barbara: a local wine called Holus Bolus, and on the label - a fabulous octopus!

Sadly, since it was nearly $30 I couldn't justify bringing it home with me, so I don't have very good pictures. The back label was equally as intriguing as the front, with fanciful curlicue writing.

Seems it would be a lovely gift for the cephalopod-lover in your lie, though, yes? The online reviews make it sound delicious. Check out this gushing over the 2004: "Impenetrably dark, with glycerin legs practically jogging out of the glass, this dark berry concoction represents everything good in the world of the Central Coast Rhone Rangers. An impressive finish, oaky notes, and a soaring bouquet."

Buy it here. Apparently they only make a few hundred cases of each vintage!

Cuttlefish Revolution

I for one welcome our cuttlefish overlords.



See a larger version here.

Rollover reads: Unless the CS students finish the robot revolution before you finish the cephalopod one.

From: xkcd.com/520/

Happy Belated Cephalopodmas, everyone!

To celebrate, you can make your very own interactive squid! Build your squid and set him free here.

Merry Cephalopodmas!

Today is 22 December, also known as Cephalopodmas. Have a Gibbous Cephalopodmas from us at Cephalopod Tea Party, and may it be filled with terror and tentacles! You might want to get your special squamate something fetid.

What spewed forth this tentacular progeny?

The amazing AlexCF is a professional cryptozoological pseudo-scientific assemblage artist and illustrator. Pictured here are his "Cthulhu Spawn in Specimen Box" and "Cthulhu Specimen Box Revisited." Contained in the box are a series of bottled samples, rock samples, detailed notes, mad ramblings, diagrams, maps, a directional compass, pencil, and of course the spawn of Cthulhu, sealed within a specimen jar. See more of his work at his site, The Art of AlexCF.

Your very own Octo-Friend

Societysedso on Etsy makes and sells these brilliant little guys. The hinged legs are a stroke of genius, in my opinion. If you want something a little more portable, they come in necklace size as well!

Images © Amy/societysedso

Blogging a Blog

It feels odd to blog about a blog post, but that's not stopping me. I have been alerted to a Cute Overload octopus post!
Oh yes, that's right. Here's the photo, don't dig it here, go see the original post by the official blog authority in all that is cute.

You Must Visit Xylocopa...

I'm in Tucson on a work trip right now, and coincidentally, cephalopod-hunting-special-agent Stache sent me a link to these amazing artists who work in carved and inlaid wood - Xylocopa. And they're based right here in Tucson!

Check out their Maple Octopus Necklace...

Teardrop Squid Earrings...

And best of all, Mad Scientist Alphabet Blocks.

Featuring beautifully detailed illustrations to accompany SteamTeam favorite themes, like "G is for Goggles" and "D is for Dirigible" and of course, "T is for Tentacle." Want!

Tea At 20,000 Leagues

"Tea At 20000 Leagues" is a hand-printed limited edition Gocco print by Etsy's SepiaLepus. How charmingly perfect for a Cephalopod Tea Party of your own! You'll find other treasures in her shop (including a few more with tentacles).

Tentacles Spotted in Etsy Treasury!

For the next few days, you can check out this lovely collection of items in the treasury Scarlet Embrace, put together on Etsy by ClockworkCrow. Etsy treasuries are collections of items put together by users to showcase their favorite items and themes.

Revenge of the Tako Nigiri

"Sushi" by artist Daniela Uhlig. This warms the cockles of my little cephalopod-loving heart. See more of her work at her website or at lolita-art on DeviantART.

The Coolest Office Ever

I will start with a preface. There is a company, in Oakland CA called Because We Can. Run by a brilliant husband and wife team, they make positively brilliant stuff from entire offices of decorations and furniture, to lovely and astonishingly affordable bits of furniture for your home.

I heard about them, however, because of a game studio in San Francisco, Three Rings, who thanks to Because We Can, have the single coolest office space the world has yet seen.
Done up to themes like 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, with everything from false hatch doors, robots in closets, and a bookshelf that's actually a hidden door to a plush meeting room that looks more like a gentleman's club house.


And did I mention the single best part? The SQUID SOFA? No? Severed tentacles from a giant squid attack make up a sitting area for meetings and games.

Complete with baby octopus bean bag pillows.

Oh yeah, this is going to be MY living room someday.

All images © Because We Can, and can be viewed on their website, http://www.becausewecan.org

Octopus Chandeliers

Adam Wallacavage has a splendid collection of Octopus Chandeliers. Above is the Dixie La Rue in Green and Black (detail). See more here.

Tentacle Couture Snipe

Somebody beat us to it, ladies. Sigh.

Via BoingBoing.

Cotton Print Cephalopods

If you've been wanting to make yourself an octopus wallet, clutch or purse...or possibly a quilt, duvet cover, or throw pillow...here's a great contender for fabric.


I'd been seeing this fabric showing up in a few Etsy shops as little purses, and went on a quest to find it for myself. Its called Mendocino and is by Heather Ross.

It comes in a few different sets of colors, and is available at various fabric websites - HERE for example. A really cute set for all your cephalopod (and mermaid and sea horse) decorating and sewing desires!